Linguist Stephen Krashen believes that people who have already learned a language fluently would be more successful in learning a new language if they would approach the learning process like children naturally do. In other words, if they would simply immerse themselves in the new language, express themselves without worrying about making mistakes, and keep communicating as best they can until they can sort out the language “nuances” through the language “data” they receive from listening to it in various contexts AND from others’ responses to what they say. The brain needs time to distinguish between meaningful units of sounds they aren’t in one’s native language, to identify common language structures and words/phrases used in various contexts, and to essentially create meaning from the massive amounts material it has to process and sort into a coherant message. The process of recognizing patterns of speech, attributing the meaning behind guestures and other forms of unspoken communication, and the various sound-symbol relationships required for reading and writing takes time. Krashen believes that focusing on the “form” of language (grammar) rather than on its “function” (usage) delays language learning because it inhibits language learners from speaking until they’re “ready” and, thus, limits the amount of time they would otherwise have to practice using it and learning as they go–like children do when they are acquiring their first and even additional languages.

For a more detailed explanation of his theory of language acquisition, open the link to his article below.

Help your students develop their phonemic awareness and speaking skills using the free, downloadable minimal pair worksheets on this site. The My English Image‘s site offers far more than mere images for ESOL teachers, as is evident from the page below and attached. Please open this page’s source link to see other pronunciation worksheets.

The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching. To access resources by theme, go to http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/.

The Washington New Americans Program (WNA) connects immigrants and refugees in Washington State to the information and legal services needed to successfully naturalize and exercise their civic voice. In the interest of changing a flawed system, we also advocate to reduce the structural barriers that keep many from achieving U.S. citizenship.

WNA is a partnership between the State of Washington and OneAmerica, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to building power in immigrant and refugee communities. With the support of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and community organizations across Washington, we provide naturalization information and assistance with N-400 and I-912 forms. We organize approximately a dozen free citizenship application workshops around Washington State every year, and our affiliate organizations offer assistance in their offices year-round, by appointment.

Read about immigrants and refugees who recently became US citizens by opening the link below.

Project Look Sharp provides lesson plans, materials, training and support to help teachers integrate media literacy into their classroom curricula. English language learners can view the material as well to learn about U.S. and world history as well as to hear famous speeches made by political leaders.

Facing History and StoryCorps provides lessons about American history and social issues designed to promote critical thinking skills, empathy and tolerance, and a sense of civic responsibility. In addition to the link to “(Re)building Classroom Commuity Post-Election” below, the site also offers the posts and topics:

Free printable ELA English Language Arts worksheets for students and teachers from kindergarten through high school. Everything from grammar worksheets to book report printables to college admissions verbal test prep.